Tengen Uzui is the most flamboyant character inDemon Slayer. His stylish drip, confidence and strong fighting prowess make him a character that is hard to forget. As a member of the Hashira, Tengen is part of the most elite group of Demon Slayers.
We last saw him in theEntertainment District arcin season two ofDemon Slayerwhere he, Tanjiro and the gang took down theUpper Six demon sibling duo Gyutaro and Daki. A user of Sound Breathing, Tengen showed off his flashy fighting style throughout the season, the highlight being his Musical Score technique in the final battle.
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What is Sound Breathing?
This Breathing Style is derived fromThunder Breathing, a form Zenitsu practices. Along the vein of thunder itself, Sound Breathing imitates loud sounds and is intended to intimidate or scare the victim by using these sounds. Tengen supplements this Style with his shinobi training, mini bombs and use of his two giant Nichirin cleavers. Sound breathing wasinvented by Tengen, himself.
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In the anime, Tengen uses three forms of Sound Breathing. The First Form is Roar, where Tengen lifts his Nichirin clevers andslams them down, creating a massive explosion. The Fourth Form is known as Constant Resounding Slashes, which is performed by extremely fast slashes of blades in rapid succession. The Fifth Form of Sound Breathing is called String Performance, created when Tengen rapidly swings his Nichirin cleavers simultaneously in a combative manner.
Debunking Tengen’s “Musical Score”
Chapter 93 of the manga lays out Tengen’s Musical Score in more detail. Musical Score is not to be confused with one of the forms of Sound Breathing. A “score” is decribed as Tengen’s battle formula that is only unique to him. Using this “score”, Tengen is able to understand the enemy’s blind spots and habits. He reads their movements of attack and converts them to sounds.
Tengen hears repeated phrases and attacks between beats and during rests, almost like he is dancing with the enemy. The manga describes Musical Score as “just like interrupting the flow of asong, if one attacks the openings in a sound, he can land a blow”. He reads attacks like sheet music, turning every fight into a song. The formula takes a lot of time to execute, but Tengen does it nonetheless.
Musical Score inDemon Slayer
In episode 10 and the final battle of the anime’s second season, Tengen interruptsGyutaroand Tanjiro’s battle, exclaiming that they are going to win. He charges towards Gyutaro, deflecting all of his attacks by “reading” his “filthy score”. While Gyutaro figures out how Tengen is fighting him so easily, his attacks are still unsurprising against the Musical Score. Their fight builds up to a crescendo of fast attacks and defences from both of them. Tengen is also managing to hold his own in fighting Gyutaro despite one of his arms rendered useless by poison and a slashed eye.
Limited by these, Tengen is unable to totally defeat Gyutaro. However, Tengen’s assistance using Musical Score allowsTanjiroto decapitate Gyutaro. Subsequently, Zenitsu and Inosuke manage to beheadDaki, as well. With both the demon-halves beheaded, the Upper Rank Six demon is now permanently destroyed.
Granted that Tengen was left in very bad shape due to an eye being slashed and demon poison nearly consuming his entire body, however when his Musical Score was complete, he became an unstoppable force against avery powerful demon. Tengen’s power with the Musical Score formula is impressive when he was not even at full health capacity. Without bodily limitations, he must be immensely powerful beyond comprehension when he uses the Musical Score.
